National Republican., 1887-11-16
SCHOOLS AND RAILROADS.
SUBJECTS BEING HANDLED BY THE
CITIZENS COMMITTEE.
Advocating Trustees Non. Partisan Ex-
oou,ive Management - Plans for n
Union Depot South of the Capitol
Georgetown Wants Its Share of Inn
proyements.


About seventy members OF the Citizens
| Representative Committee of One Hundred
assembled in the upper hall Of the Grand
Army building last night. Mr.. Reginald
| Fendall presided and Mr.. Lawrence Gard
ner, the secretary, performed his duties
gracefully.
The following newly elected delegates
from Association No. o presented their Gre
dentials and were received: j. N. Mlnnix,
Anacostia; Charles Barker, Anacostla; j.
7. jenkins, Good Hope; s. NJ. Golden,
| Anacostia.
The report Of the committee on harbors
and wharyes, which was ordered printed
at last meeting, was referred back to the
| committee with instructions to formulate
! resolutions embodying their views.
The report OF the subcommittee on roads
and bridges was then taken into considera.
ton. The latter clause Of the following
resolution caused much discussion:
| Resolved, further That we indorse. and ap.
| prove the spirit Of improvement and progress
manifested by the liberal appropriations made
| for our District by the forty.nintn Congress;
but we reprobete aud dissent from that portion
lumbia to pay one.half the cost of the new
bridge over the Potomac at Georgetown.
Mr.. Frizzell, chairman OF the subcommit-
tee, defended the committee's action be-
| cause Congress always had appropriated
the necessary funds to build bridges across
navigable streams.
Mr.. A. b. Mullett supported the COM
mittee in Its action In very logical man.
| ner.
Col. r. w. Tanner also supported the
| committee.
Mr.. Mitchell warJnly defended his po.
sition, and. in the Course Of his remarks,
said that Georgetown never did have its
| fair proportion OF good things when com
| pared with other portions OF the District.
| He characterized the individuals to whom
| Congress had given the bridge as ga half
| dozen bummers, who were looking around
for any thing they could pick up"
Judge Pelham, Mr.. Weller, and Mr..
Noble d. Larner argued pro and con, and
| the latter gentleman said that the people of
the District would save more than the
$50, coo they were to be taxed for the bridge
in the reduced price OF produce which
would come into the District and which
row goes to Alexandria. Mr.. Mitchell's
amendment being put was lost-3i to 81.
The paragraph In the report which says,
"It is well-established fact that notwith-
standing the large amounts expended on
the roads since July /, 1878, they are In no
better condition now than then. This re-
mark may not apply to the skirt Of country
contiguous to the northern boundary of the
city west Of Seventh street, and including
Georgetown, but elsewhere throughout the
county 1t applies with more force than may
| be here expressed" created considerable
discussion and much sarcasm was INDUCED
In at the cemmittee's expense about "con-
| crete streets out In the county,
| Judge Pelham moved that the report be
referred back to the committee, and Col.
Dyer wanted to know why certain roads
had been recommended for repairs and
| others had not.
Mr. Frizzell desired the committee to de-
fer action until next meeting.
| Mr.. Leetch said there were serious
| charges In the report, and he would like to
have more time to consider 1t. lie only
received his copy late in the afternoon.
Mr.. Simon Wolf moved, as a substitute,
| to defer action until next meeting, and Mr..
II. A. Curtis wanted to know why certain
roads had been left out Of the committee's
report.
Mr., VOLTS substitute was unanimously
adopted.
The committee on schools submitted
lengthy and valuable report respecting the
history and management OF the public
schools In this District. 1t seems that the
first school law of the District was passed
by the city council In December, 1901, pro.
1
appointed by council and by contributors
to fund in aid of the council'1 approprla-
tion Of 81 500 for the support o. the schools
| For about forty years the powers OF the
trustees were not greatly char g although
the law was several times modified, but
during this period the schools appear TO
have been free only to the INDECENT. In
1914 the second important law In relation
to schools WAS enacted which greatly I'M
proved the organization Of the system. The
city was divided into four districts with
three trustees for each district. The trus-
tees were made sub-boards for the
practical supervision OF the schools IN their
respective districts. This law, however, was
not free school law, but ten years later
the law was passed upon which the present
system is based, and which was In force at
the time Of the passage of the act providing
for the present District government. I'm
der an act Of Congress of May 81, 1862 the
colored schools were established and pro.
Vided for.
The public schools of Georgetown
originated with the people In 1910, and In
1912 joint system, created by the council
and citizens, was instituted and carried on
for twenty.sevtn years, when In 1S42 the
city decided to bear the support OF the
schools. The county schools were organ
lied under an act OF Congress of May 90,
1869. Under the act OF June 90, 1874, es-
tablishing temporary form OF government
for this District, the commissioners con-
solidated the four school boards into one,
and In 1878 the present law In regard to
trustees was enacted. The report, after
citing the order of the commissioners of
Dec. 80, 1885, says: This order practi-
cally supersedes the authority which for
eighty years had controlled the public
schools.
The school trustees were thereby reduced
to mere advisory agencies OF the commits
sioners, who thereafter assumed all the ad-
ministratiye or governing powers thereto
fore vested In the trustees. This radlcd
departure from the prior methods OF mauag
ing the public schools OF the District neots.
sarily presents two main questions for con-
sideration:
/. Whether the order of the commits
siopers Is based upon authority Of law.
2. Whether such q transfer Of powers
from the trustees to the commissioners IL
good policy, or warranted by any experience
Of a similar nature In the management oi
the public schools In other cities Of the
United States.
The committee continuing, present the
authority under which the commissioners
claim to act, and add that In their opinion
that is not proper construction Of the
statute. After citing other authorities
bearing upon the subject, the committed
claims tn at the powers assumed by the CON
misslonerB under the order OF Dec, 70
1885, seems to them to be "clearly
without the authority of law. The
moneyed control Of the public schools
has been concededly lodged with the Dis.
trict commissioners, but within the financial
limits prescribed by them the entire eXecu-
tive management Of said schools has been
conflded by Law to the board of trustees. y
In regard 20 the question OF policy involved
In transfer Of powers from citizen school
hourd to the political branch Of the District
government, the committee express them
selves In strong terms against II. They re
fer to the excellent condition OF the schools
thoroughly organized under a corps OF eX-
perenced aud competent teachers when the
| anI